Should U.s. 17-92 Get A New Look?

A Public Workshop Today Is The Latest Move Toward Forming A Redevelopment Group To Revamp The Roadway Through Seminole County.

September 17, 1997|By Robert Perez of The Sentinel Staff

SANFORD — U.S. Highway 17-92, once the economic heart of Seminole County, has seen better days.

Sign clutter, traffic congestion and years of wear and tear have turned the thoroughfare into what some consider an urban scar.

But the latest effort to revamp the road, which stretches 12 miles from Fern Park to Lake Monroe through Seminole, is gaining momentum.

Residents will have a chance to say what they would do to improve the road at a workshop from 5 to 8 p.m. today at the Casselberry Police Department, 4195 U.S. 17-92.

The workshop, the first of four, is the latest step in creating a special redevelopment organization for the roadway, called a Community Redevelopment Agency.

Community redevelopment agencies are state-sanctioned organizations designed to breathe new life into economically depressed or stagnant areas. The agencies typically coordinate improvements and beautification efforts, seek grants and encourage private investment.

Comments from the workshops will be combined with information from surveys given to drivers on U.S. 17-92. The surveys were handed out Tuesday to drivers at the road's intersection with State Road 436. Motorists were asked how often they use the road and what improvements they think are needed.

Research by Ivey, Harris & Walls shows that property values along the highway are increasing, but at a much slower rate than the rest of the county. For example, between 1992 and 1997, property values increased about 2.9 percent along the road compared with 16.6 percent for the county overall.

Research also shows that more than half of the 1,217 parcels along the road have no defined driveway and nearly two-thirds have no public sidewalks.

A community redevelopment agency could be used to correct those problems and others, the consultants have said. In June, the County Commission agreed to form a redevelopment agency and develop a plan for improvements.

Paying for those improvements will be the biggest challenge.

Community redevelopment agencies apply for grants and seek corporate donations but generally rely on special taxing districts to raise money. The agencies can take a portion of property taxes paid by businesses in the district and earmark it for improvements within the area.

Not everyone agrees that U.S. 17-92 needs a community redevelopment agency. Representatives from car dealerships, the billboard industry and some small businesses have expressed uncertainty about the idea. They say redevelopment plans are vague, and they worry that creating a redevelopment agency will lead to higher taxes.

The other workshops are scheduled for Thursday at Lake Elementary School, 132 S. Country Club Road; Oct. 28 at the Seminole County Agricultural Center, 250 W. County Home Road, Sanford; and Oct. 29 at the Casselberry Police Department. Each meeting lasts from 5 to 8 p.m.